Carton holder and container



March 19, 1968 c. I HAINES 3,373,897

CARTON HOLDER AND CONTAINER Filed Sept. 17, 1965 S Sheets-Sheet 1 I I I-34 I w I 4'0 I I I l I I FIG I I 7 I I IIIII INVENTOR.

CLIFFORD L. HAINES FlG. 2

BY 4 M ATTORNEY March 19, 1968 c. 'L. HAINES. 3,373,897

CARTON HOLDER AND CONTAINER Filed Sept. 17, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 fza 1"I I 122\ t ZON- FIG. 4 3 FIG 3 20 HI! IW I 22 I FIG. 5 +7 INVENTOR.

CLIFFORD L. HAINES ATTORNEY March 19, 1968 c. 1.. HAINES 3,373,397

CARTON HOLDER AND CONTAINER Filed Sept. 17, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I 32 FI G. 6

INVENTOR.

CLIFFORD L. HAINES ATTORNEY United States Fatent Qfifrce 3,373,897Patented Mar. 19, 1968 3,373,897 CARTON HOLDER AND CONTAINER Clifford L.Haines, P.O. Box 3, Bristol, Ind. 46507 Filed Sept. 17, 1965, Ser. No.488,005 4 Claims. (Cl. 220-85) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A holder formilk cartons and the like having four panels forming a rectangularholder portion with side Walls enclosing a substantial portion of theside walls of the carton. A handle attached to one of the panels extendsupwardly above the side walls to a point near the top of the carton, anda lug disposed in the inner wall of one of the panels near the bottomthereof holds the milk carton in the holder.

Disposable milk cartons of treated paper construction have beenextensively used for home and store delivery of milk and other potableliquids, such as fruit juices, pancake batters and similar fluid mixes.While there are several different makes and designs used in the tradefor each of the various capacity cartons, such as one-half pints and oneand two quarts, the cartons by the various manufacturers areapproximtely the same size for each corresponding capacity, thehorizontal dimensions being substantially the same, and the verticaldimensions being within one to one and one-half inches of each other forthe various makes of cartons. The larger size cartons, particularly thetwo quart size, are difiicult to handle and hold while they are beingopened and the contents poured therefrom. The pouring operation usuallyrequires both hands to hold the carton, even though a one-handed pouringoperation would be more convenient and practical in order to permit aglass or other receptacle to be held while pouring from the carton.Various types of handles and carton-supporting devices have been used ortried in the past, but these have had certain inherent defects ordifficulties which rendered them unsatisfactory, such as difficulty inattaching the handles to the cartons, and damage to the carton by thehandle so that the handle does not remain securely in place on thecarton or so that a leak or seepage develops in the carton. Furtherdilficulty is encountered in cleaning, storing and using the priorholding devices for other purposes when they are not being used as acarton holder. Further, theseprior holders usually exposed most of theexternal surface of the carton and did not give any protection from heattransfer, sweating and dripping. It is therefore one of the principalobjects of the present invention to provide a relatively simple,lightweight and attractive holder for milk cartons and the like, intowhich the carton can be readily inserted and which can conveniently behandled with one hand to pour liquid from the carton, including fullyinverting the carton without the cartons becoming dislodged from theholder.

Another object of the invention is to provide a holder for milk cartonsand the like which insulates and protects all four sides and the bottomof the carton to assist in maintaining the contents of the carton cool,to minimize condensation of moisture on the outside surface of thecarton, and to prevent any condensation which may occur on the cartonand drops from the carton spout from dripping from the carton onto thetable or other supporting surface.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a holder of theforegoing type which will not damage the carton, and which, if leaks orseepage develop, will prevent the fluid from being lost or contaminated,and which,

in addition to forming an effective holder for the carton, caneffectively be used for a general purpose container for either solids orliquids and as a measuring cup or container for the liquids and solids.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the present holder and containerdevice showing a milk carton inserted therein in opened position readyfor pouring;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the present holder and container deviceshowing the carton therein in opened position;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the present holder and containerdevice with the milk carton removed therefrom;

FIGURE 4 is a rear elevational view of the device;

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the device;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the present holder andcontainer device, the section being taken on line 6-6 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view of the lowerportion of the present device, the section being taken on line 7-7 ofFIGURE 5.

Referring more specifically to the drawings and to FIGURES l and 2 inparticular, numeral 10 designates the present carton holder andcontainer device having a conventional or extensively used type of milkcarton 12 therein. The carton is of the type having a tapered top withone end designed to open by folding out in the manner illustrated inFIGURES 1 and 2, thereby forming a spout 14 for the carton. In theillustration shown, the tapered portion of the carton projects above thetop of the container portion of the present device, which consistsbasically of a container or holder portion 20 and handle 22 secured tothe rear side of the holder portion.

The holder and container portion is rectangular in shape, as can bereadily seen from FIGURES 2 and 5, and consists of side panels 24 and 26and front and rear 'panels 28 and 30 and a bottom panel 32, these panelsforming a square shape horizontally, similar to most standard orconventional milk cartons. The internal horizontal dimensions of thecontainer portion are such that the carton will slip readily intoportion 20 without leaving sufficient space around the sides to permitthe container to wobble when the device and carton are moved in theirassembled position. It is preferable that a relatively small space beprovided around the carton to permit the air to escape and enter whenthe carton is inserted and removed and to permit any condensation on thesurface of the carton to readily flow down into container portion 20.Since most of the cartons for milk and similar liquids provide a type ofopening which must be easily reached and pulled outwardly or upwardly,it is desirable to have the top of the holder portion 20 substantiallybelow the top of the carton, so that the tear tab or closure can bereadily pulled out or unfolded as illustrated in FIGURES l and 2. Theupper edge of the holder portion is reinforced by providing a section ofthicker material 34.

In order to prevent the carton from sliding from holder portion 20 whenthe cart-on is being emptied, a lug or bar 36 of a triangularcross-sectional shape is mounted on the inside of the container near thebottom thereof with an angular lower edge 38 for engaging the side ofthe carton and causing an indentation of suflicient depth to securelyhold the carton in place. The lug is not sufficiently sharp or large topuncture the side of the container, but rat-her merely scores the lowerrear side of the container and seats firmly on the carton only a small 3distance above the bottom, with suificient force to clamp the carton inthe holder portion 20.

The handle 22 is secured to the rear side of the container and projectsupwardly to a point approximately on a line with the top of the carton.The extension of the handle above the upper edge of holder portion 20 toa point approximately on a line with the top of the carton is importantin order to give Optimum balance to the assembled holder and carton whenthe contents of the carton are being poured therefrom. The holder andcontainer and the handle are preferably formed of plastic material andthe handle is preferably formed integrally with the holder and containerportion. However, other materials may be used in the construction of thepresent device, including metal and disposable paper of rigid,non-foldable construction.

One of the advantages of the present holder and container device inaddition to the advantages mentioned herein concerning its use inholding cartons, is that it can be effectively used for holding othersubstances, both liquid and solid. Further, FIGURE 1 illustrates themarkings 40 on the side of container portion 20 to permit the device tobe used as a measuring cup or container. Most plastics from which thepresent device would be made are at least partially transparent;consequently, the liquid or solid material, such as flour, sugar or thelike, can readily be seen through the sides of the container and thusmeasured by marks 40. A lid (not shown) having sides overhanging theoutside upper edge of the holder portion is preferably provided with thedevice. Since a device of this type is not always in use, it has adefinite advantage over many of the prior types in providing theadditional uses.

While the present device has been shown as a combination container andcarton holder, one more economically priced may be made by omittingportions of the four panels forming the sides of the holder andcontainer portion. Thus, square or diamond-shaped openings may beprovided in one or more of the sides, and thereby enhance the appearanceas well as reduce costs of materials used in the production of thedevices.

Various other changes and modifications may be made without departingfrom the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination of a milk carton and a holder therefor, the cartonbeing of rectangular shape horizontally and having an outwardly foldingspout near the top,

said holder comprising four wall panels and a bottom forming arectangular holder portion with the horizontal dimensions being slightlylarger than the horizontal dimensions of said carton and the height ofthe side wall panels being only slightly less than the height of thecarton below the lower part of the spout, a handle of loopedconfiguration connected to one of said panels and projecting above thepanel on the opposite side to a point substantially on a plane with thetop of said carton, and a downwardly tapered, substantially rigid lug onthe inside surface of the panel on which said handle is attached, thesaid lug being of generally triangular cross-sectional shape and inspaced relation to the bottom of the carton in the holder and therespective side wall of said carton having an indentation for said lugand expanding outwardly beneath said lug for releasably retaining saidcarton in said holder.

2. A carton and holder combination as defined in claim 1 in which saidfour panels and bottom are imperforate and all of said walls aresubstantially of the same height.

3. The carton and holder combination as defined in claim 1 in which saidholder is constructed of transparent material and said handle is formedintegrally with the side wall of the holder.

4. A carton and holder combination as defined in claim 2 in which saidholder is constructed of plastic material of a substantially rigidstructure.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 99,405 4/ 1936 Marschall222-158 2,670,616 3/ 1954 Schneider 220- 2,810,503 10/1957 Krueger220-85 2,813,742 11/ 1957 Neugebauer 220-85 2,868,411 1/1959 Kesselman229-15 2,932,423 4/ 1960 Baumgartner 220-85 2,936,927 5/1960 Peters220-85 2,961,112 11/1960 Didion. 3,013,691 12/1961 Prentice 220-853,148,804 9/1964 James 222-158 3,259,279 7/1966 Nojiri 220-85 FOREIGNPATENTS 596,719 4/1960 Canada.

RAPHAEL H. SCHWARTZ, Primary Examiner.

